URGES OTHER COUNTRIES TO FOLLOW CANADA’S LEAD AND ACT NOW TO STOP IRAN

StandWithUs applauds Canada’s decision to sever diplomatic ties with Iran. In his surprise announcement on September 7th, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird explained Canada “views the Government of Iran as the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today,” and it “routinely threatens the existence of Israel and engages in racist anti-Semitic rhetoric and incitement to genocide.”

Canadian MP Irwin Cotler spelled out the reasons Iran threatens both the world and Israel. “Iran is in standing violation of international law prohibiting nuclear weaponization; Iran has already committed the crime of incitement to genocide prohibited under the Genocide Convention; Iran is a leading state-sponsor of international terrorism; and, finally, Iran is engaged in the massive domestic repression of the rights of its own people.”

“We want to thank Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Governor- General David Johnston, Minister Baird, and the Canadian people for their firm moral stand against Iran. Hopefully, other countries will follow their example. Today, silence and inaction are not options. Iranian leaders deny the Holocaust even while they threaten to inflict another one and race to build nuclear weapons, ignoring UN resolutions and international treaties. History has shown us the tragic consequences for Jews and the world when fanatic, racist regimes are not stopped. It is unconscionable that Iranian President Ahmadinejad will be speaking to the General Assembly on September 26th, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, and a date that evokes the horrors of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. We are grateful that Canada is setting a clear moral path,” said Roz Rothstein, StandWithUs CEO.

An international education organization, StandWithUs has been working to help people understand the urgent need to stop Iran. “We created a new website, www.stopiransnukes.org, to inform the public about the fanatical nature of the Iranian regime, how it destabilizes the international order, and how it endangers Israel and the world. Fortunately, Canada’s actions and statements will help people realize how serious the threat is. I hope Canada’s dramatic stand will encourage people to learn more, in part by visiting our new website. Israel must not and should not have to stand alone against a genocidal threat and this looming danger to democratic countries. Nations around the world, and people everywhere, including the oppressed people in Iran, should thank Canada for its leadership,” concluded Rothstein.